![Colorado Rapids](https://www.oursportscentral.com/graphics/teams/resized/mls_colorado_rapids19-200.png)
Colorado Rapids to Face Club León and Portland Timbers in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage
January 31, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - The Colorado Rapids have been drawn with LIGA MX side Club León and MLS side Portland Timbers in the group stage of the second edition of Leagues Cup, Major League Soccer announced today.
"We're incredibly excited to take part in the second edition of Leagues Cup," said Colorado Rapids President Pádraig Smith. "We're very much looking forward to the opportunity to face off against some of the top teams in our confederation, all while providing fans with a memorable experience at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park in this groundbreaking competition."
Taking place from July 26 to August 25, Leagues Cup 2024, will be played in the United States and Canada, will decide three qualifiers for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup in which the winner will represent the region at the FIFA Club World Cup. This innovative club tournament has redefined soccer tournament competition, showcasing the best talent in North America and the intensity of the competition.
The Rapids, León and Portland Timbers will occupy the fifth group in the West region. The tournament will introduce a tiered Leagues Cup Ranking system, as well as hubs for the highest-ranked LIGA MX clubs. The Leagues Cup ranking will be strictly based on combined MLS and LIGA MX club performance based on points in the last 34 regular season matches. MLS teams will be ranked based on the 2023 MLS Supporters' Shield standings, while LIGA MX clubs will be ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura tournaments. Leagues Cup will maintain its current No Ties format. Each team receives one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes. The winner of the subsequent penalty shootout will earn an additional point. Regulation wins count as three points, with games being decided by penalty kick in case of regular time draw.
Founded in 1944, León, the winners of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions Cup, have an illustrious history. Los Verdiblancos have won the Liga MX Primera División title eight times, Ascenso MX five times, Copa México five times, and have been Campeón de Campeones champions on five occasions. The club is led by Jorge Bava, who previously had a stint with the Chicago Fire in 2017. The squad features former Mexican internationals Andrés Guardado and Luis "Chapo" Montes. Guardado, has represented his country in five World Cups, four Gold Cups, two Copa Américas, and two Confederations Cups. Meanwhile, Montes holds the club's all-time appearances record with 409. Rapids Gallery of Honor inductee Marcelo Balboa starred for León from 1994-95 before joining Colorado in 1996, the club's inaugural season.
The Portland Timbers are captained by Diego Chará, a 2019 MLS All-Star and 2020 MLS Best XI player. The team also features Chile National Team forward Felipe Mora, who played in Liga MX from 2017-21, and Maxime Crépeau, the 2022 MLS Cup winner. Phil Neville, appointed as head coach in November 2023, leads the team. Additionally, Portland defender Eric Miller previously played for Colorado from 2016-18. In 2015, The Timbers won the MLS Cup.
Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch all 77 Leagues Cup matches on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is available on smart TVs, streaming devices, Apple devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. In addition, Televisa Univision, TV Azteca, FOX Sports (FS1), TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for selected group stage matches in Mexico, United States and Canada.
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
Major League Soccer Stories from January 31, 2024
- San Diego FC, City of Escondido, and Street Soccer USA Open First Futsal Courts at Washington Park in Escondido - San Diego FC
- Earthquakes to Stream Live Preseason Matches from Coachella Valley Invitational - San Jose Earthquakes
- LAFC Signs Colombian Forward Tomás Ángel - Los Angeles FC
- Sounders FC Kicks-Off First Competitive Action of 2024 Preseason against FK TSC Bačka Topola - Seattle Sounders FC
- Inter Miami CF Transfers Nicolás Stefanelli to Fehérvár FC in Hungary - Inter Miami CF
- Orlando City SC Announces "Honor Thy History," a Year-Long Celebration of Its 10th MLS Season - Orlando City SC
- CF Montréal Acquires Forward Matías Cóccaro - Club de Foot Montreal
- Major League Soccer and Liga MX Announce Groups for Leagues Cup 2024 - Seattle Sounders FC
- St. Louis CITY SC Head Coach Bradley Carnell Signs Contract Extension - St. Louis City SC
- Leagues Cup 2024 Unveils New Tournament Format and Groups for Second Edition of MLS vs LIGA MX Competition - Philadelphia Union
- Leagues Cup 2024 Unveils New Tournament Format and Groups for Second Edition of MLS vs LIGA MX Competition - Columbus Crew SC
- Leagues Cup 2024 Unveils New Tournament Format and Groups for Second Edition of MLS vs LIGA MX Competition - Inter Miami CF
- Leagues Cup 2024 Unveils New Tournament Format and Groups for Second Edition of MLS vs LIGA MX Competition - Chicago Fire FC
- FC Cincinnati Draw New York City FC, Club Querétaro in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - FC Cincinnati
- Charlotte FC to Face Cruz Azul and Philadelphia Union in Group Stage of Leagues Cup 2024 - Charlotte FC
- Colorado Rapids to Face Club León and Portland Timbers in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - Colorado Rapids
- Atlanta United to Play Santos Laguna, D.C. United in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - Atlanta United FC
- Orlando City SC to Face Atlético San Luis & CF Montréal in Leagues Cup 2024 - Orlando City SC
- Leagues Cup 2024 Unveils New Tournament Format and D.C. United's Group for Second Edition of MLS vs LIGA MX Competition - D.C. United
- Earthquakes Draw Chivas, LA Galaxy for Leagues Cup 2024 - San Jose Earthquakes
- Toronto FC to Face C.F. Pachuca and New York Red Bulls in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - Toronto FC
- New York City FC Announces 2024 Leagues Cup Group and New Tournament Format - New York City FC
- Austin FC to Face CF Monterrey, Pumas UNAM in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - Austin FC
- Minnesota United to Face Club Necaxa and Seattle Sounders FC in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage Play - Minnesota United FC
- FC Dallas Faces St. Louis CITY SC and FC Juárez in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - FC Dallas
- Timbers to Compete against Club León and Colorado Rapids in Group Stage of Leagues Cup 2024 - Portland Timbers
- Sporting KC to Play Toluca and Chicago in Leagues Cup - Sporting Kansas City
- Houston Dynamo FC to Face Atlas Fútbol Club and Real Salt Lake in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Play - Houston Dynamo FC
- LA Galaxy to Square off against Club Deportivo Guadalajara and San Jose Earthquakes in Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage - LA Galaxy
- Real Salt Lake Leagues Cup 2024 Group Unveiled - Real Salt Lake
- Colorado Rapids Acquire Philadelphia Natural Second-Round Pick in the 2025 SuperDraft in Exchange for Rights to Goalkeeper Oliver Semmle - Colorado Rapids
- Philadelphia Union Sign Goalkeeper Oliver Semmle - Philadelphia Union
- Comfort, Familiarity and Companionship in Preseason Will Help Aaron Boupendza Reach his Peak in 2024 - FC Cincinnati
- Inter Miami CF Announces Increased Stadium Capacity Ahead of 2024 Season Due to Unprecedented Demand - Inter Miami CF
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Colorado Rapids Stories
- Rapids Target Season Sweep against Revamped FC Dallas in MLS Return, Building on Leagues Cup Momentum
- Rapids Earn Qualification to 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup
- Zack Steffen Named Leagues Cup 2024 Best Goalkeeper
- Rapids Head East for Leagues Cup Third-Place Match against Philadelphia Union
- Colorado Rapids Fall to LAFC 4-0, Will Face Philadelphia in Third-Place Match
![Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew](https://www.oursportscentral.com/graphics/sc_400w_tag.png)
![OurSports Central](https://www.oursportscentral.com/assets/img/footer-logo-latest.png)